2019-09-01 Cosmopolitan South Africa

LOVE

98

COSMOPOLITAN.CO.ZA | SEPTEMBER 2019

Your easy

‘but what

does it

mean?!’

hack

Most sex dreams

are less about

the people in

them and more

about what

those individuals

represent to

you, says

expert dream

analyst Lauri

Loewenberg.

So ask yourself:

what stands

out the most to

you about this

person? Their

bananas sense

of humour?

Their boss-bitch

attitude? That’s

what your

subconscious

may want you to

incorporate into

your own life.

1 2^345
Someone you
can’t stand
(cough,
your ex)
This is basically
a nightmare –
a super-common
one. But dreams
starring le ex
are not a sign to
reunite. ‘It’s about
what they used to
represent: passion,
desire, excitement,’
says expert dream
analyst Lauri
Loewenberg. You
might need to
bring that energy
into your current
’ship, or if you’re
single, try dating in
a new way. If the
enemy is not an ex,
‘your subconscious
is urging you to
reconnect with
that person,’ says
Loewenberg. ‘It’s
not good to carry
around hate.’

A t o t a l

stranger

The ‘mystery

lover’ storyline =

the second most

frequent sex dream.

And in a twist that

would crush a

hopeless romantic’s

fantasy, ‘it doesn’t

mean you’re

dreaming about

the someone who’s

out there waiting

for you,’ sa ys

Loewenberg. ‘This

is more about some

aspect of yourself

that you’re trying

to get to know.’

Envisioning

a fire night with

a scandalous lover

could represent

your own need

to be more

authoritative and

assertive – like

the kind of badass

who would have

a spontaneous bang

with a stranger.

A c o - w o r k e r

or your boss

You see them every

day, so of course

they butt in at

night. But there’s

a distinction

between sexing

your boss in your

dreams versus

a subordinate,

says Loewenberg.

If you work for

them, the dream

is likely about

a power struggle.

Solve it by finding

something to

collab on. If you

did NSFW things

with someone who

reports to you, think

about what they

provide IRL. If it’s

an assistant who

keeps your life in

line, your brain

may be telling

you to get your ish

together.

Your English

tutor

If it’s the professor

you always

drooled over in

class, this might

simply be a hot-

for-teacher sitch

• in which case,
  lesson over, fantasy
  completed. But
  if it’s someone
  you found legit
  scary or revolting
  (like beyond their
  tough demeanour
  and wrinkled
  khakis), take note
  of the subject
  they taught you.
  ‘If it was English,
  maybe there’s
  some need in
  your life for better
  communication,’
  says Loewenberg.
  ‘If it was maths,
  it could be a call
  to get better at
  your finances.’

A b u n c h

of people

While they might

seem crazy-fun,

dream orgies are

actually a red

flag (sorry!) that

you have a lot of

distress in your

life. Aka you’re

experiencing

a psychological

overload that’s

manifesting as

an overload of

partners and

body parts, says

Loewenberg. It’s

time to look for

ways to seriously

Marie Kondo busy

areas of your life

(or at least put

a few things on the

back burner until

everything slows TF

down). Cut back

on happy hours for

a sec, or maybe

take a tiny vacay.

When your sex dream is with...

90%

A (platonic!)

friend

8%

A boss

26%

Lotsof

people

at once

How many

of you

are sleep-

boning...

72%

A total

stranger

53%

An ex

49%

A

co-worker

54%

A

celebrity

42%

A faceless

person

PHOTOGRAPHY

GETTY IMAGES

SOURCE

LEESA DREAMS SURVEY

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